Another Way to Get Home
by TheLostDHI
Summary: Some people on the internet posed an intriguing thought about what Jason's life could have been if he wasn't given up by his mother, but instead was with Thalia when she met Luke and Annabeth. This is the story of what could have been.


This is the story of what could have been. These are based off of a blog post I saw on Tumblr. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the source of the ideas, because they were lost in tons of blog posts in the tag. I enjoyed the ideas and the head canons so much that I decided to write it to the best of my ability. If you know who created some of these headcanons, send them this story! Hope you enjoy.

Another Way to Get Home

Branches snapped underneath shoes running through the forest. Trees were blurred from the four kids as they hurried away from the howls coming from behind. If they didn't hurry, they would be dead. If they fought back, they would be dead. It wasn't looking good for them.

"Come on, Jason! Annabeth!" Thalia urged. "Keep running!"

Two blond haired kids, Jason and Annabeth both six and seven ran harder. The boy by Thalia's side, fourteen with dirty blond hair, gave her a worried look. Were they getting closer to camp?

The monsters behind were getting closer. Way too close for comfort. Soon they would reach the four kids and destroy them. Thalia and Luke wouldn't let that happen to Annabeth and Jason.

"I can go and hold them off!" Thalia said. Her eyes were determined, but Luke wasn't intimidated as he usually was over the twelve year old with jet black hair.

"No way. We're almost to camp. We can make it!"

"But the camp will be overrun with monsters. It's me they're after."

"Camp will have reinforcements," Luke assured her. "Remember? That's what Grover said before we kicked him out of the group."

They had kicked Grover out of their group about a week before, after he came to them offering his help. They didn't listen to his warning about the monsters.

"That was a mistake."

"Just run!"

Almost there. Just a few more minutes. Soon they would be safe and it would all be over.

Thalia tripped and landed hard. Just enough time to see the shadows of the hellhounds appear in the distance. Luke pulled her to her feet. "Come on!"

Thalia knew what she needed to do. Maybe one good blast of lightning could scare them away. She yelled, "Keep going. I'm going to hold them off."

"Thalia, no! Don't do it."

"Just protect Annabeth and Jason." She could see her little brother running for his life. "Please protect Jason."

"Thals-"

They ran, but Thalia stopped. The hellhounds caught up and she sent a huge bolt of lightning. It threw the monsters back but didn't send them to Tartarus. She tried to fight them off as best as she could, but it was too overwhelming. The last thing she remembered was the screams from her brother calling out her name.

And everything was quiet.

* * *

From that day on, Luke was bitter, Annabeth tried her best to get through the pain, and Jason's heart was shattered. Jason was getting tired of all the prophecy crap he was hearing about. He didn't want anything to do with it, and he wasn't going to be the cause of Olympus falling. He looked at Thalia's tree and whispered, "I'm sorry I'm letting you down."

He turned hearing footsteps. Annabeth stood there with a hard stare on her face. She knew he was leaving. They'd been friends for a long time. It had been five years since they'd made it to Camp Half Blood. They always had each other's back, but here was Jason, leaving her for selfish reasons.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"Not sure yet."

"Sons of Zeus's aren't liked outside of camp. You could get yourself killed the moment you walk out of here."

He shrugged. "Maybe I'll find another camp."

Annabeth frowned. "Unlikely, but you can dream."

"I guess."

"Are you _sure_ you have to go? There's so much here for you."

"I'm not going to be the person in the prophecy. If I leave now, it'll stay that way."

She sighed unhappy with his decision. "Then, I guess, all I can say is good luck."

Jason gave a small smile. "Thanks, Annabeth." He gave her a hug. "I'll be alright," he promised.

"I know you will. Make sure you send me a postcard."

One last smile. One last goodbye. One more step out of destiny.

* * *

Jason could remember staying in Zeus's cabin the first night. The lightning scared him. The dark was terrifying. He was utterly alone. Not just in his cabin, but his only sister had sacrificed herself and ended up as a tree. So, of course, six year old Jason was scarred after the event. Then years later, he had an obsession talking to his sister's grave. Almost every night he would leave his cabin while avoiding harpies and would talk to Thalia. He wasn't sure if he was that great at avoiding harpies or if they actually had a conscious to let him mourn in peace.

When he was ten he sat there by Thalia's tree and had a meaningful conversation. "Today was okay," he said. "Sword fighting is fun. Although, it really hasn't done anything for me. I mean, you're still a tree so. Yeah. Um, my friends are nice. Luke is fine. He seems a little mad for some reason. I thought it was because of you, but I think something else is bothering him." He paused to think over what else to say. "Annabeth is great. She told me about the Great Prophecy. She didn't tell me what it said, but she hinted about it." He took a deep breath. "I don't want to be the kid in the prophecy, Thalia. Instead, I'm going to find a way to bring you back. Not sure how, but I will. That quest is more important to me than saving or destroying Olympus. I don't want to let you down."

He missed talking to Thalia's tree. He was fifteen now and found himself in California. He had actually found another demigod camp called Camp Jupiter. He would love to see the shock on Annabeth's face.

He liked it there for the most part. But the wolf Lupa told him some upsetting things. The fact that his own mother had given him up to Juno to please her. How Thalia had found out and took him back. Jason should have been in the legion for his whole life, but Thalia had saved him. Now, for the past few years, he was stuck in the legion with no way out.

He never told the people of Camp Jupiter about Camp Half Blood. That was his secret. His sister was there. He was going to protect her, Luke, and Annabeth. If he were to tell anyone, he would have to remember all the sad things that happened at camp. He'd have to pull out all the memories he tried to forget for the past five years. Gods, he missed Annabeth. They were great friends. She was easy to talk to. He could joke around with her at any time. Everyone in the legion was so stiff. Well, except for a few people. But they could never be Annabeth or Luke. They especially couldn't be Thalia.

He wondered if the true person in the prophecy had ever shown up. Annabeth would probably be helping him or her on the quest. She was probably the leader of camp just as he was the leader of his own. Maybe he _should_ send her a postcard. She probably thought he was dead. She had a phone. He could make the risk and call her. Well, if her number was the same.

So many conflictions.

"Jason! Are you paying attention or not?" A girl, named Reyna, asked him. She glared at him. Usually, he'd be intimidated, but he was more annoyed than scared of her.

"I am," he said. "You want to stop Octavian from finding the Sibylline books, because there are more pressing matters."

Reyna almost seemed impressed. Almost. Her brown eyes studied him as she gripped her knife that was stabbed in the table. He had zoned out when she got mad and tried to murder the table. Her gold and silver dogs looked up curious if they should eat him or not. "Do you want to tell him the search is off or shall I?"

"I don't mind crushing Octavian's dreams," he shrugged. This was his life. Making rules. Running a camp. Getting glares from his partner. Sometimes he wondered if she hated him or tolerated his existence. They were great friends until a trip to Charleston, South Carolina. A talk with a southern belle made her different. She looked at him different. He wondered if he'd ever know why.

"Good, because I didn't feel like doing that right now."

"Is this meeting done?" he asked.

"Why do you ask? Have a date or something?" She was actually trying to be funny. Maybe their friendship could be salvaged. She was always so stressed all the time. The purple cape she wore seemed to be a burden. Did she want to be a Praetor or was there something else out there for her?

"No, I just need some air," he said.

"Of course, the son of Jupiter needs air."

He gave a smile. "Yeah, I suppose it's funny."

Jason walked out of the room and eventually made his way outside of the camp. No one would catch him leaving the tunnel except for the guards. Luckily, he was friends with one of them so his escape would be easy.

He walked by Hazel an incredibly sweet and girl with chocolate hair and eyes like gold. He'd always thought of her as a good friend. Someone he could trust. She gave him a confused look. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm just going to take a walk to get away from Camp Jupiter. Don't tell anyone, please."

She smiled. "No problem, Jason. Your secret's safe with me."

He smiled back and walked out of the camp border. Now he just needed to find a phone.

After about thirty minutes of trying to find a payphone, he made the phone call.

 _Hi! Annabeth Chase here. I'm busy at the moment so please leave a message!_ Jason sighed. The phone beeped. His cue to find something to say. "Hey, Annabeth. It's Jason. It's been a while, hasn't it? I just wanted to let you know that I'm okay. I'm alive. I can't really tell you where I'm at, but I promise you I'm safe. I'll try to call some other time. Bye, Annabeth. Be safe." He hung up.

When he walked through the tunnel again, Hazel asked if he was okay. He didn't even realize he was crying.

* * *

He recalled waking up on a bus holding hands with a girl he never met. From that day forward him, the girl, and a Latino Santa's elf lives were intertwined. He had no memories so he had to depend on them. They were the perfect team.

The first day of their quest, before they left on a giant metal dragon, Jason was in a familiar cabin. He felt like he had been to the Camp Half-Blood before, but something felt wrong. His instincts told him to get the heck out of there. Some people looked at him strangely as he walked through camp the night before, but he couldn't tell why. Maybe because the son of Zeus was so rare. Or maybe it was because they _had_ seen him before.

He had scanned the cabin and came across a sleeping bag in the corner of the cabin behind the giant Zeus statue. He could see tape stuck to the wall where pictures or posters could have been stuck. No pictures were there. No evidence that someone found home in such a lonely cabin.

He heard someone walk in and jumped at the sound.

Annabeth entered and apologized for startling him. "I just wanted to check in and see how you were."

He appreciated her coming in and trying to be nice. He felt like he had met her before, but he couldn't remember. "I'm about to go on a quest with no idea what to do. I'm great."

She gave a small laugh but stopped as if it wasn't worth laughing when she was so sad about her missing boyfriend. "I'm leaving today to look for Percy."

"I hope you find him."

"Me too."

Finally he worked up the courage to say what he was thinking from yesterday. "I've been to this camp before, haven't I?"

Annabeth hesitated. "Jason, there are a lot of things at play right now. If I were to tell you everything I know, it might ruin things. You have to figure it out on your own. After you finish your quest, come talk to me. Hopefully, you'll have your memories back."

It wasn't much, but he accepted it. Still, another question bothered him. "The girl who lived here before me, what was her last name?"

"Grace."

* * *

Jason remembered seeing the girl from the tree for the first time. She hugged him and told him she missed him and how much she loved him. He didn't remember her. He didn't know her. He barely knew her name.

She told him a little about his family, but it was cut short. He didn't get a lot of information. His mother was an actress who died drunk driving. She told him that their mother tried to give him up to Juno to please the goddess. He was hoping that he would have a family that would be there for him, but his sister was a huntress who was immortal- kinda, dying in battle seemed to conflict that idea, but he made a mental note not to mention that-, his mother was a dead psycho, and Zeus was going to ignore him for the rest of his life. The whole meeting just made him wonder what he was going to do after the quest. He would obviously stay with Piper and Leo, but what if his past caught up to him and it was just more bad news?

He would just have to wait until his memories return. Least, one good memory returned.

He seemed to be six and she was twelve. The two of them were on their own living in the world. No parents. No adults. Just two kids fighting monsters and trying to find a place to sleep in the night. Jason was always so scared of what could be there in the dark.

He clung to her like she would disappear if he let go. She hugged him tight. "Hey, it's okay. Everything will be okay."

"Promise?" he asked.

"I _promise_."

He almost wished she'd hug him at that moment and tell him the same thing again.

* * *

Finally, after four long days, the quest was done. Piper, Leo, and him were a great team. They saved Juno and stopped a threat aimed at Olympus. Life was good. He wondered what the future would bring. Building the Argo 2 was definitely going to be a challenge, but he knew Leo was up to the task and he would help him along the way. Jason and Piper were close, but he was still afraid that a memory would come and ruin their chance. He really liked her. Way more than he wanted to admit. She was completely opposite of him- willing to take risks. He was a Roman trained to follow order. It was what he was used to. She was so different. He wanted to see her at the moment, but he had one person to talk to. Hopefully, his friend would want to talk.

He sat next to Annabeth who was by Thalia's Pine. She didn't seem too happy to find out that Percy was at the Roman camp in California. He felt bad.

"So, do you have your memory back?" She asked.

"Bits and pieces," he admitted. "Everything is pretty fuzzy to me. I know we were friends, but you never said anything."

"I couldn't. I would be interfering and I didn't want to."

"Are you going to tell me everything now?"

"Depends on what you want to know."

He thought for a moment. There was so many things he needed to know. How did the prophecy play out? Did Annabeth ever get his call? Finally, there was something that was bothering him the most." And what happened to Luke? Why haven't I seen him around?"

Annabeth frowned. "A lot happened while you were away, Jason. It's a long story."

"I've got plenty of a time."

She looked at the camp and sighed. "Luke died. After Thalia died, he lost it. There was a lot of stuff that played into it, but eventually he turned good again and sacrificed himself."

Jason wasn't surprised at the news. It explained a lot. Luke was unstable by the time Jason left. He felt guilty for not being there when his friend needed him most. There was nothing he could do about it, though. Luke made his choice. Now Jason had new friends Leo and Piper. He wouldn't fail them. He would try to make sure to be there for them like he should have for Luke.

"Don't dwell in the past, Jason. You've come back here to make things right."

"I came back because of my evil stepmother."

"I just mean that you should enjoy your time here at camp. Go hang out with your new friends. Have some fun. See if home is here."

"Alright," he said getting up.

"You know, if you don't have a girl at home, you should talk to Piper more."

He rolled his eyes, but his face felt hot. "Are you seriously trying to give me advice to get a girlfriend?"

She shrugged. "Maybe."

He laughed and said goodbye. He left Thalia's pine thinking about his promise to bring Thalia back. She was alive for years and he didn't even know it. This time he had a different promise for her. That he was going to do things differently. He wasn't going to run away anymore. He was going to find a place to run to. Maybe it was Camp Half-Blood.

* * *

He waited eagerly on the Argo II as it sailed through the sky. Meeting the Romans was not going to be an easy task. Making new friends in general was always so hard. There was a lack of trust that always awaited both sides of the party. The only intentions you know are your own.

When Jason and Thalia were wandering the street alone, they came across a monster and were almost killed. Fortunately, another demigod protected them. Jason, only five years old, instantly liked the guy. Thalia was skeptical.

"Thanks," She muttered.

"No problem. What are you guys doing out here alone?" he asked.

"Running away," Jason said.

"You brought your five year old brother with you?"

"You don't know what we've had to get away from, okay? So thanks for the help but leave us alone."

"Jeez," he said raising his hands. "I get it. I could help you, you know. You seem pretty tired. Plus, I ran away too. People like us should stick together."

"Yes!" Jason agreed.

"No."

"I'm liking this kid here," the boy said. "Come on, just one night. And if you hate me, I'll leave."

"Fine, but be prepared to leave in the morning."

The funny thing was that was the first time Thalia had laughed with another human besides Jason. There was something special between Thalia and Luke that Jason could never figure out. It was a shame it never lasted.

* * *

Jason mourned over his friend Leo after the war with the giants. He had died protecting the world and there was nothing he could have done to change that. He was left with the guilt. It was like losing his sister all over again. Only, this time, Leo wasn't coming back.

He wondered what would have happened if Thalia hadn't have saved him from Lupa and Juno. Would he be doomed to live at Camp Jupiter his whole life? Would he ever have made it to the quest of the seven to begin with? Maybe he would have died and Leo would still be alive. Funny, how one decision could affect a life. Thalia had chose to save him and he spent his whole life running away and trying to find a place to call home. He thought he found a home at Camp Half Blood, but without Leo it seemed empty.

He found himself back at Thalia's Pine. He sat next to it and said, "I know, I know, you're alive so I'm talking to a tree, but it's therapeutic."

The tree said nothing.

"I miss Leo," he said. "I wish there was something I could do to bring him back. I guess I have a hard time bringing back the people I care about. I could go to the underworld. Percy and Annabeth survived once so maybe I could."

"That's a really dumb idea."

He moved away from the tree. Did it just talk?

"It's me, Sparky. Over here."

He blinked and to his left he saw his girlfriend. She was smiling at him. She hadn't smiled since Leo had died. Had talking to a tree made her that amused?

She sat beside him. "What are you doing?"

He glanced at the tree. "Uh, well, when I younger I would come here and talk. Sounds crazy but it was helpful. I figured that if I vented to a tree then maybe it would help with Leo being gone."

"Should I leave you to your monologue with Thalia's Pine?"

"No, it's nice to have a real person rather than a tree," he smiled. "If it didn't respond, I'd probably end up doing something stupid."

"Like going to the underworld."

"It crossed my mind."

"Me too," she admitted. "Annabeth already told me it's a bad idea."

"Maybe he's still out there."

"Maybe, but for now, we'll just have to move forward. He probably wouldn't want us to be moping around."

"To be honest, that's all I want to do."

"There was nothing we could do," Piper said. "We all make our choices. He made his and together we stopped Gaea. He knew the price and was willing to pay even if it cost our happiness as well."

He held her hand as they watched the demigods of Camp Half Blood. Pegasi were flying through the air while campers were celebrating. They were happy for a victory. Jason was sad for what he lost. But he felt like he should be down there with his friends. Leo would be throwing a great party if he were alive. He wouldn't want his friends to miss out on a celebration.

"You want to head down to the never ending party?" She asked. "Take your mind off of everything?"

He smiled. "Yeah, it'll be fun. Let's go."

Together they left Thalia's Pine for a future that Jason was hoping for. One filled with happiness and no regret. A future with a home. He looked at Piper. Maybe he had found it.


End file.
